Tiger
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Gia's got a tattoo. She's been hiding it from her mother. One morning, she decides she's not getting up, so Mrs. Moran needs to wake her.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made._

_Author's Note: This is not where the Megaforce series starts. If you want to read the series without getting lost, I suggest you read my stories in the order they appear:_

_**No To Date Nights - The Party Night - Project Partners - Megaforce: Lives Behind The Masks - **__**Prom Night**__ - __**A Trip To Remember - First Meetings - Something She Loves – Protective Morans – Samurai In Harwood County – Rainy Days – Luck Had Nothing To Do With It – Ranger Support – Parents and Children – Hero Without The Spandex – Emma's Night – Emma's Mother – Bait And Switch – After Death – A Stormy Day – A Date For Tensou – A Mother's Advice – Mending Fences – Executioner Named Revenge –Those Three Words – On The Fourth Day - Babysitting**_

Mrs. Moran had a list of chores she wanted to get done before the day was done, but the girls were fast asleep. She had already cleaned the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, cleaned all three of the bathrooms in the house and made breakfast. She wanted to get started on the laundry, but with Emma and Gia still asleep in their beds, she couldn't gather up their sheets. It was late enough in the morning that Mrs. Moran figured it was time the girls woke up anyways.

She snuck into Gia's room first and turned on the light. Gia responded by pulling the blankets over her head. Mrs. Moran walked to the window and opened the curtains.

"Rise and shine, sweetheart."

"I miss how dad would come to my bed and gently wake me up," Gia muttered. "That was mean."

"I'm doing chores today and I need your sheets. C'mon, get up."

"I'll do them later."

"Up."

"Mom!"

Mrs. Moran walked over to the bed and grabbed the blankets. She ripped them away from her daughter and then took the top sheet. She put it in her laundry basket.

"One more, Gia. C'mon, you can do it!"

"Are you cheering me out of bed?"

"Let's go, Gia! Whoo! No one is better at getting out of bed than you!"

"Clearly you are," Gia muttered. She grabbed her pillow and put it over her head. "Go wake up Emma."

"She's next. You can come watch her suffer if you'd like. I need your sheets, Gia."

"I'm tired."

"Go nap on the couch. I need your sheets."

"No…" Gia rolled over and kept her head under the pillow. It was then she heard a gasp from her mother and she realized her mistake. She had slept in a tank top. Her top exposed her shoulder with the tattoo her mother had no idea she had. Until now, she had done everything to keep her shoulder hidden, but she had forgotten this morning and the secret was out. She sat up and looked to her mother.

"Mom…"

"Laundry needs to be done," Mrs. Moran whispered. "The rooms still need to be dusted. You and Emma need to do a full clean of your room."

"Mom, let me explain…"

"I don't want to hear it right now, Gia," Mrs. Moran shook her head and she walked to the door. Gia jumped out of bed, grabbed her jacket from her chair and went after her mother, who was already downstairs.

"It's not what you think…"

"Was it Cliff?"

"No, but…"

"Was this your decision?" Mrs. Moran asked. She looked Gia right in the eye. "You know how I feel about tattoos. We've talked about this."

"Mom, I know, but…"

"Where did you go? Who did this to you? You're seventeen years old, Gia. This is your only body."

"I know, mom, but…"

"No," Mrs. Moran opened the door, "I can't talk about this now."

"Mom," Gia grabbed her mother's arm, "I know it's a big deal but let me explain."

"How are you going to explain that monster stained onto your shoulder?"

"It's a tiger…"

"Oh, I'm sorry! The tiger! Explain the tiger to me, Gia."

"I wanted it, mom…"

"I want a lot of stuff, Gia," Mrs. Moran growled. "I want a maid to do all this cleaning for me. I want a chef to make dinner every night. You don't see me getting tattoos of those things, do you?"

"Mom, it's just a tiger. Like my Zord…"

"What? Owning a freaking Zord wasn't enough? You had to get it carved into your back?"

"It means something to me, mom! Tigers are strong. Calm down and listen…"

"Listen as you explain how on earth you came to the decision to violate yourself? Haven't you been through enough? Was Cliff not enough? Your father's death not enough? Did you want more scars? Is this to punish me?"

"This isn't…" Gia shook her head and tried to push back her tears.

"Do your chores, Gia. I need some air," Mrs. Moran stormed out of the house and slammed the door as she left.

Emma had been woken up by all the screaming and stood at the top of the stairs. She watched Mrs. Moran go and shook her head before racing down and out the door. She caught up to Mrs. Moran who was just leaning against her car.

"Can we go for a walk?" she asked. Mrs. Moran nodded.

"I think I need that."

Emma took the car keys from Mrs. Moran's hand. It wasn't a good idea to drive. They started down the sidewalk. At first there was silence between the two of them. Then Emma decided to speak up.

"First of all, it's not to punish you."

"You knew, didn't you?"

"I found it a little while ago," Emma nodded. "She's really proud of it."

"Why?"

"You know, tigers are beautiful creatures," Emma said.

"I don't care how beautiful they are. They don't belong on Gia's shoulder."

"They're also strong," Emma continued. "Personally, I wouldn't want to mess with a tiger, especially when she's angry."

"We're not talking about tigers, are we?"

"We are," Emma stopped walking and looked to Mrs. Moran, "The tiger is Gia's Zord, and it's not just because Gosei liked tigers. It's an amazing animal, full of strength and confidence. I've already said it; I wouldn't want to mess with a tiger. It's a losing battle for sure."

"Emma…"

"But, you know what? Even though the tiger is strong, it is endangered. It needs protecting. It needs someone to look out for it. Someone to care for it. If we can protect the tigers, they'll continue to be the strong, amazing, beautiful creatures we know they are."

"Why does Gia need to have a tiger on her shoulder? Wouldn't know that be enough?"

"Gia doesn't like having to be protected. I doubt the tigers like it much either, but they need it. Still, just because you're being protected, that doesn't mean you can't stand up for yourself. It just means you've got help if you need it. Gia likes having the tattoo on her shoulder because it reminds her she's strong enough to stand up for herself. She needs that. She's not getting a tattoo because she thinks it's cool. She's not doing it to scar herself. And she's not doing it to punish you. She wants to heal. I wasn't too happy with it at first but it's… good for her. It's exactly what she needs."

"To scar her body? Hasn't that been done enough?"

"It's not a scar, Vanessa, it's who she is. It's a symbol or… a reminder. She needs a permanent reminder of how strong she is. A temporary tattoo washes away. You can lose a painting or a stuffed animal. You're not losing a permanent tattoo. It's not going anywhere, and neither is Gia's strength."

Mrs. Moran breathed in heavily, "I've never been a fan of tattoos, Emma. I just… Gia, she's… and now…"

"The tattoo's not distasteful. It's a strong tiger, but it's not like it's tearing her flesh apart or eating the meat of a defenseless animal. It's a really nice tattoo. It's pretty cool. She made a good choice. You don't have to like it, Vanessa, but it means a lot to her. She's not going to regret this tattoo."

"What about you?" Mrs. Moran asked. "Are you thinking of getting any tattoos?"

"No. They aren't for me."

"Good girl," Mrs. Moran hugged Emma tightly. "At least I've still got you."

"You still have Gia. Vanessa, she needs you to be okay with this. Especially after what you've said."

"What did I… oh…"

"Yeah, I've been there," Emma muttered. "She'll be okay. She'll know you didn't mean it. She's smart like that."

"I didn't mean to hurt her," Mrs. Moran took a seat on the curb and put her head in her hands. Emma sat down beside her. "Oh, Emma, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. I threw it all in her face. Cliff, her father… everything that tattoo must stand for…"

"She'll be okay, Vanessa. As long as you mean it when you apologize… as long as you're okay with the tattoo. I know you don't like tattoos but Gia's is different. It's… it's always been there. She just needed a little ink to bring it out. She was born with that tiger spirit."

"And I probably just killed it…"

"You can't kill it," Emma shook her head. "Vanessa, it's there to stay. No matter what people say or do to her now, that tattoo, her spirit, is always going to be there."

Mrs. Moran took in a deep breath and looked down at her hands. Then she stood up.

"Tigers are endangered?"

"Real tigers? Yeah. A lot of work is going into protecting them."

"Is there anything I can do?"

Emma nodded her head.

-Megaforce-

Gia did her chores and more around the house as she waited for her mother to come home so she could explain. She even made dinner, her mother's favourite, to apologize and to prove to her mother she wasn't trying to punish her and she wasn't trying to be a bad kid for her. Her tattoo had nothing to do with her wanting to scar herself, punish her parents, or make a statement to the world. It was personal. It was a reminder to herself of who she was.

Dinner was on the table. Gia worried it would be cold by the time her mother finally came home, but as the clock continued to change time, she started to think maybe her mother wouldn't. She'd been gone all day, and she hadn't been happy when she left.

Finally, the lock on the door clicked. Gia stood up and walked out to the hallway. Her mother and Emma were back.

"I washed the sheets," she whispered. "Dinner's on the table."

"Emma, you can eat in your room," Mrs. Moran said. Emma nodded her head and quickly grabbed her plate from the kitchen before heading upstairs. Gia looked down at the floor.

"Mom, I'm…"

"Emma explained the tattoo. Can I see it again?"

Gia sighed and took off her jacket. She turned around so her mother could have a look. Mrs. Moran sighed.

"It's certainly stuck, isn't it?"

"It's permanent. Mom, I…"

"It's nice."

"It… it is?"

"As far as tattoos go," Mrs. Moran nodded her head, "It's got to be my favourite. I wish you had talked to me about it first."

"It's my body, mom. I knew I wanted it."

"I'm disappointed you hid it from me, Gia. I'm disappointed you went behind my back. But… I do like it."

"You don't have to lie, mom."

"I like it, Gia, because I like what it means," Mrs. Moran took her daughter's hand, "You know I'd do anything for you, right? I'd give you the world. I'd do, and I am trying to do everything to make you happy and keep you safe. That's what's important to me. If it takes a tattoo of a tiger for you to be happy, then I'm all for it. As long as it makes you happy, as long as it keeps you happy. This isn't going to be something you regret in five years, is it?"

"No."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

"Can I show you something?"

"Okay…"

Mrs. Moran took off her shirt and turned around. Gia gasped loudly.

"MOM!"

"I got it today. What do you think?"

"That's a… it's a… tattoo? You… you got a…"

"I got a tattoo," Mrs. Moran smiled. "The little tiger, that's you."

"Me?"

"You are a tiger, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but…"

"And the bigger one, that's me."

"You got a tattoo?"

Mrs. Moran put her shirt back on and turned around to look at Gia with a smile, "I'm always here for you, Gia. You know that if you ever need anything, you can come to me. If you're scared or hurt, or you need someone to talk to…"

"I know, mom."

"Even tigers need their mothers."

"I know I do."

Mrs. Moran hugged her daughter tight. Then she let go and smiled again.

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

"Tigers are endangered."

"I know."

"I also said some pretty… un-mother-like things to you this morning. Gia, I have no idea how those slipped out of my mouth. If I could take them back, I would."

"It's okay…"

"It's not okay. This can't make up for it, but I got you this."

Mrs. Moran reached into one of the bags she had brought home with her and pulled out a stuffed tiger toy. She handed it to Gia.

"It's yours. I know you lost the one Jake gave you."

"Tigger's sacrifice wasn't in vain," Gia sighed. She hugged the tiger close to her chest. Mrs. Moran nodded her head and then reached into the bag again.

"This little guy comes with something. Not only do you have a tattoo of a tiger on your back, but you're also the proud mother of a…"

"You got me a tiger!" Gia shrieked, seeing the certificate her mother gave her and how a tiger in the wild had been adopted under her name.

"A cub. She'll grow up big and strong one day, just like you."

"You got me a tiger!" Gia threw herself into her mother's arms. Mrs. Moran hugged her daughter tight.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm really sorry for what I said."

"You got me a tiger!"

"I think she likes it," Emma said as she came down the stairs with her empty plate.

"Likes it?" Gia pulled away from her mother to look at Emma, "I've got a freaking tiger! What do you have?"

"Hey, I'd have adopted my Zord…"

"So why didn't you?"

"Phoenixes aren't real."

Gia stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry. Emma snatched the tiger toy from her arms.

"Maybe I'll just flush this guy down the toilet."

"HEY! Give it back… MOM!"

"Vanessa!"

"What if we took Emma in, he said," Mrs. Moran muttered as she walked away and rolled her eyes. "We've always been there for her. She's family already, he said. The girls will love it, he said. Well, you didn't think about this, did you, Joe?"

"You know, if you flush the toilet, it's just going to clog and you'll be wasting water!"

"Fine, then I'll drop the tiger out a window!"

"No! Emma, don't you… MOM! She threw my tiger out the window!"

"You keep bragging about how you own a tiger!"

Mrs. Moran saw Gia's iPod on the table next to her plate of dinner and put the headphones in her ears. She turned the music up to drown out the girls while she ate.


End file.
